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Residents and hemp business owners press county to reject ban; council holds Bill 15
Summary
Dozens of public commenters urged the Saint Louis County Council to reject Bill 15’s proposed ban on certain hemp-derived products and instead create a regulatory framework; law enforcement urged stricter controls for youth safety. Council moved to hold Bill 15 for committee on Sept. 9, 2025.
Public comment at the Aug. 19 Saint Louis County Council meeting centered on Bill 15, the proposed intoxicant and cannabinoid control code that would affect the sale of hemp-derived products in the county. Dozens of speakers — including hemp business owners, veterans and trade-organization representatives — urged the council to reject a ban and instead adopt clear regulation to protect consumers and small businesses.
“All of these responsible retailers fully support measures that protect consumers and children,” said Allie Favor, general counsel for CBD Kratom, urging the council to vote against Bill 15 and adopt a substitute that creates a regulatory framework. Several other business owners said the measure, as written, would shutter family-run shops and hand a market advantage to licensed marijuana dispensaries.
Speakers cited federal and state frameworks. Murad, a county resident and hemp business operator, told the council the 2018 federal farm bill and state law limit local bans: “A ban violates Missouri house bill 20 34 dash 20 18,” he said, adding that hemp compliant with the farm bill should remain legal locally.
Not all public commenters opposed the measure. Joe Hill, a 26-year law enforcement veteran in the St. Louis area, spoke in support of Bill 15 on public-safety grounds, recounting school incidents in which children consumed gummy products containing THC and several were hospitalized. “This is, in my opinion, a thousand percent preventable if we just kept it in the hands of the people that are supposed to have it and out of the juveniles’ hands,” Hill said.
After the public-comment period, Chairwoman Days announced that Bill 15 was held; the council scheduled a committee of the whole for Sept. 9, 2025, to continue discussion and consider substitute language. The meeting notice makes room for further stakeholder and legal review before any final action.
What happens next: The council’s Sept. 9 committee session will revisit Bill 15 and any substitute bills; interested businesses and public-safety stakeholders are likely to participate.
